Blueprint for Success – Public Skateboard Parks in Vancouver

Vancouver City Council has shown itself as a progressive leader in the support of skateboarding as a positive and healthy activity by providing public skateboard parks as early as 1979 when China Creek skatepark located at Broadway Ave and Clarke St was first built. The China Creek facility still stands and is heavily used to this day 32 years later, serving generations of skaters, acting as a community hub and allowing public participation in a challenging and rewarding discipline for a diverse and multi-cultural cross section of participants.

The Vancouver Parks Board has continued to develop public skateboard parks by constructing parks of various designs throughout the Metro Vancouver area including Hastings, the Downtown Plaza, Strathcona, Quilchena, Kensington, Mount Pleasant, and by officially recognizing the skater built Leeside skatepark as an authorized Metro Vancouver Parks Board location in 2010.

Formed by concerned skaters, the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition has been instrumental in rallying Vancouver’s skate community towards fund raising and skateboard advocacy. Their tireless efforts have resulted in the materialization of many public skateparks and better understanding of skateboarding culture by Metro Vancouver’s non-skating residents.

Canada’s oldest skateboard shop, PD’s Hot Shop has been a member of Vancouver’s skateboard community since 1976 and is taking the initiative to show gratitude to Vancouver City Council, the Vancouver Parks Board, the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition and all of the individuals responsible for making Vancouver such a great skateboarding city.

On Saturday, August 18, 2012 from 5 pm until 9 pm Skull Skates, and PD’s Hot Shop at 3734 W. 10th Ave at Alma St. in Vancouver will be hosting a commemoration of Vancouver skateparks which will include a display of skatepark blueprints and the sale of a special China Creek Blueprint T-shirt with profits to go towards the building of more public skateparks. The event will also feature live entertainment and is free to all ages. For more information call 604-739-7796 or email pd@skullskates.com.

Summer at the Skatepark

Posted on August 14, 2012 by bcskateboarding

Castlegar Rotary Skatepark is the location for the 2012 Summer at the Skatepark Free Skateboard Coaching program. It is managed by local non-profit Kootenay Family Place, supported by Castlegar and District Recreational Complex and funded by BC Gaming.

Skateboard instructors have been available since June 25th honing the skateboarding skills of 150 participants as of August 14th. Ages have ranged from 3 to 60+. People from Vancouver, Northern BC, Calgary, Castlegar, Salmo, Rossland, Nelson, Winlaw and Slocan City have all be thrilled by helpfulness of the skateboard instructors at the skatepark.

Utilizing the Skaters for Public Skateparks/Drop In To Skateboarding Curriculum, skateboards learn the basics such as warm up, stance, falling properly, stopping, navigating the skateboard. Once these foundation skills are achieved instructors move skaters into the fundamentals such as understanding the skatepark layout, pumping and kick turns on transitions, carving , ollie and the drop in. The expertise level is creative and skaters and instructors challenge themselves with grinds, airs, slides, plants and technical trick combinations.

According to Ty Smith, the coordinator, the success of this program has been due to it’s ability to accept all participants of all skill levels providing boards, helmets and pads at a non-cost, in a completely drop in program format (10am to 4pm Mon to Fri).

Support for skateboarding in Castlegar, BC has come from Skull Skates, S-One Helmets, skatepark.org, Drop In To Skateboarding Curriculum, Spectrum Skatepark Creations along with Mountainfm.net, Central City Shoes, sk8shoes4kids.org.

If you are interested in following Castlegar Skateboarding click over to

facebook.com/FriendsOfTheCastlegarSkatepark

Ukee Bowl Slamm and PunkNeck Fest

Posted on August 11, 2012 by bcskateboarding

UCLUELET SKATEPARK

Directions

Vancouver Skate Sessions

Posted on August 10, 2012 by bcskateboarding

Kensington Bowl Contest from Zenga Bros on Vimeo.

Road Blocker Re -Cap on Antisocial Skateboard Shop

antisocialshop.com/post/29151928110/road-blocker-re-cap-eeeeerrrrrrr-a-few-tricks

Otro

Posted on August 10, 2012 by bcskateboarding

I came across the post “glow in the dark skatepark” via a Facebook. Looking into it some more I found that Artist Koo Jeong- a had created a unique skatepark on Vassivière Island in France.

This park was built by Concrete Flow Skateparks and Doctor Skatepark, formerly Brusk Collective. Beside the amazing bowls and tunnels the surface is covered with luminescent paint so that the park will glow at night.

Additional websites for reference: escaut.org/urban-scale/otro/ and domusweb.it/en/art/you-re-only-young-once/